It is computationally intensive to manage security for large-scale networks. When the number of security policies is very large, it can take hours to process and install security policies on select security devices. Activities for managing the security policies can become similarly computationally intensive. Such management activities may also be cumulative, so that the time needed to complete the management activities increases over time with the size and complexity of the network.
Many algorithms used to add new security devices, or to optimize security devices on an existing network, are sufficiently complex that the time needed to execute such algorithms is unfavorably disproportionate to the number of security devices on the network topology. For example, many algorithms have a time complexity of O(n2) or higher, where n corresponds to the number of security policies. Executing the algorithms with the time complexity of O(n2) is often the best that can be achieved for many existing networks. The result is that there is a tendency to manage security policies less frequently, so that security policies are often maintained on the network in a less than optimal state.
Due to the complexity of the management algorithms, the computation resources required for managing security devices on networks can be cumbersome and excessive. Several minutes or even hours can be dedicated to managing security policies on the network, making implementation of the management algorithms inefficient for the network.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a way to simplify the manner in which management operations are performed. There is a specific need for improving performance when implementing management operations.
The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.